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News Dec 2025
Retro
ride: Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans, Dec 23
From Ian Falloon: The mid-1970s
was a halcyon time for the Italian motorcycle
industry with all the major manufacturers
producing class-leading sporting machines.
Determined not to be outdone by Ducati,
Laverda, and MV Agusta, in 1975 Moto Guzzi
released their spectacular 850 Le Mans.
How
much for the Honda RC45? Dec 23
This zero-mile Honda RC45 at first struggled at auction and ended up fetching Au$166,000 (US$110,745, GB£82,000, €94,000) via Iconic in the USA.
Hayabusa
day – Sunday shed wrap, Dec 21
Same name, same idea,
and 25 years apart. We take our first- and third-gen
Suzuki Hayabusas out for a gallop. How do they
compare?
Plus we get the full set
of late 1990s speed kings on to historic plates. See the
story, here.
Cabinet
of Curiosities, Dec 21
A little way up the road from Adelaide, on the northern
edge of the hills, sits a remarkable museum, aptly named
the Cabinet of Curiosities. Run by long-term motorcycle
industry figure Colin Gitsham, it rejoices in a
fascinating collection of motorcycles – dominated by
two-strokes – some cars and loads of memorabilia.
Vincent on the road, Dec 20
Our lovely 1952 Vincent Rapide Touring is now registered and on the road, over a year after we first started talking about it with the auction house in the USA.
The delays involved international shipping, Muggins was
busy, oh, and we were certainly not riding it on crappy
wet roads to get it inspected. And, yes, I had to ride it
rather than trailer it there.
We had a few little dramas, and I was limping for a day
or three after the roadworthy check. No matter…we all
lived.
More to come, soon.
In the meantime you can see my first story on the bike, here.
New Substack feed, Dec 20
Yep, we've kicked off a new Substack feed, and will be
sending our regular newsletter from the same platform. See it here.
See Ian Falloon's
Substack feed.
Herding
Hayabusas, Dec 17
Today's highlight was a
lunch invitation and you need to get there somehow. So
it was the turn of our 25th anniversary Suzuki
Hayabusa (at rear), with its oh-so-subtle
orange-and-black metal-flake livery, to get a
much-needed gallop.
Speaking of subtlety, it
would seem churlish not to take the first-gen 'Busa
for a post-lunch blast.
What are they like when
ridden back-to-back? Coming this weekend to our Sunday
Shed Wrap column.
Meanwhile, see our Suzuki
Hayabusa resources page
Singular
Harley-Aermacchi, Dec 17
Something that soaked up a lot of time today: our lovely 1974 Harley-Davidson (Aermacchi) Sprint 350SS. We've been sorting out a few little issues, including instruments, tyres and a pukka siamesed exhaust system.
It is now ready for a roadworthy check and will soon be on the road. Look out for it in our Sunday Shed Wrap column, next week.
Crispy
classics set auction alight, Dec 16
The top lot at a recent
UK Bonhams 'fire sale' – a 1974 Ducati
750 SS green frame with race history, has sold
for an incredible Au$185,000 (US$123,000, GB£92,000,
€105,000).
That compares to the top
pre-sale estimate of Au$40,000 (US$27,000, GB£20,000, €23,000).
The UK auction concluded
December 15 and included a trio of very desirable
classic V-twins, which were at best badly heat- and
smoke-damaged. They survived a building fire thanks to
being locked in a container.
The other two bikes
were:
A 1954
Vincent Series C Black Shadow which went for Au$139,000 (US$92,000, GB£69,000, €79,000);
And a 1972
Ducati 750 Sport that fetched the same as the
Vincent at Au$139,000
(US$92,000, GB£69,000, €79,000).
There is a long history of premium
project motorcycles getting silly money at
auction. However the economic reality is a good
one that's already up and running will cost less –
but where is the fun and story in just buying one
that's done?
Maybe being able to think and talk about
how you 'rescued' it is much of the attraction.
At risk of providing some perspective, a very
tidy and restored 1990 Honda RC30 fetched
Au$69,700 (US$46,000, GB£34,500, €39,000).
Also, as we recently pointed out, Bonhams sold a nice Ducati 'green frame', with no race history, a year ago for Au$280,600 (US$188,000, GB£140,300, €160,000).
More
auction results – sorted by price.
See the
Vincent Series C Rapide in our shed
Falloon
on the Imola Ducatis which inspired the first
750 SS road bike
And
his profile on the 750 Sport
See our
mini-profile in the Honda RC30
Sporty
Boxer, Dec 13
Classic Two Wheels
has recently revived a suite of stories relating to
BMW's R1100S, launched in 1998. See it here.
It's a model we have
always had a lot of time for, and these days one
can be had for relatively little money.
Andy's
mountain epic, Dec 13
From Andy Strapz: Andy’s Kashmir to Kathmandu Epic will get your eyes popping with views of the highest mountains in the world, giants with names like Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Nanda Devi, Manaslu.
From the stark high passes of Ladakh to the remote, lush valleys of Western Nepal, the expert team at Karma Yatri will not only guide us through gob-smackingly amazing country but take us on a culinary and cultural immersion.
We’ll ride through a series of varied regional and religious zones, starting in the mainly Islamic Kashmir, through Buddhist dominated Ladakh and Spiti, to Uttarakhand, the spiritual heart of the Hindu faith, then into the wonderfully co-operative and cohesive Nepali culture.
While much of the trip is on sealed roads (or what passes for it in that part of the world), riders will need to be reasonably capable on roughish roads. And unless you have a pillion with a bum of steel and massive staying power, it’s not really that sort of ride. While we are incorporating scenic and cultural delicacies, there will still be some solid riding days involved.
Dates: 26 September to 20 October, 2026.
Accommodation: Comfortable single rooms, the odd night in home stay.
Bikes: A mix of Royal Enfield 450 Himalayan and Triumph 400 X.
More info: email – info@andystrapz.com, Tel 03
9786 3445.
Kerala capers, Dec 13
Since we got on to the topic of international tours (see
the post above), we got word last night that the good folk
at Kerala Bike Tours have a few slots open for their
February 15-day run.
We went on one of their trips back in 2020 and it was
magnificent. See the story
here.
Contact Daniel or Naz via the Kerala Bike Tours website.
Crispy
Ducati, Dec 12
It's the stuff of
nightmares, a bike collection getting caught up in a
fire. In this case Bonhams in the UK is in the unique
position of selling a 1974 Ducati 750SS 'green frame'
that more or less survived a fire because it was in a
sealed container.
The damage may not be
quite as bad as it initially appears to be, however it
will be a big and expensive job to bring it back to
its former glory.
Sadly the accompanying
paperwork didn't survive the fire, though the machine
has a recorded Isle of Man TT competition history.
The upper end of the estimate is Au$40,000 (US$27,000, GB£20,000, €23,000) and we suspect it will go past that.
So what is a tidy example worth? Bonhams sold a nice example, with no race history, a year ago for Au$280,600 (US$188,000, GB£140,300, €160,000).
This model, of which 401
were produced, was a tribute to the famous 1-2 Imola
200 endurance race victory in 1972. Ian Falloon unwraps that story, here.
Norton
Commando Special, Dec 12
It's a potentially
expensive game, playing around in auction web sites,
looking at what's available and what you just missed.
But it does have its rewards.
We were a little taken
with this 1972 Norton Commando 750 special, sold last
month by Bring a Trailer in the USA.
It's beautifully
presented and has clearly had serious money spent on
it. Aside from goodies such as the AP Racing caliper
and Norvil front disc brake, it has an Alton electric
start – which would completely change your
relationship with it.
How much? It sold for
Au$14,700 (US$9800, GB£7400, €8400), which is probably a fraction of what it cost
to build. Talk to the right people, and you might get
something like this into Australia for about Au$6000,
which we reckon still stacks up.
Because of its age, it
would have no issue with going on limited-use club
plates anywhere in the country and should avoid state
stamp duty – a huge saving.
It might be a good thing
that we didn't see this one until after it sold...
The auction description
mentions "a
high-compression camshaft". We're very curious to know
whether that was someone throwing the work experience
kid under the bus, or AI yet again losing the plot.
See our
Norton Commando profile
And the one
that was in our shed
Plus the Classic Two Wheels
feature from 1975
FJ
flyer, Dec 11
Big, bold and ballistic,
Yamaha's FJ1100/1200 air-cooled series was fast and
super strong. Most have literally been ridden into the
ground.
Are there any tidy
examples left out there?
FireBlade
days, Dec 10
Classic Two Wheels
has period tests on the first and second model Honda
FireBlades, harking back
to an era when they were both ground-shaking and
affordable. Back then, a new one cost Au$12,700
plus on-road costs (US$8400, GB£6300, €7300).
See our
future classic feature on the first series,
which includes our video via
YouTube (above).
Honda has moved away from that arguably
compromised affordable-spec thinking to one where the
technology is up there, with an up-market offering. It's the
CBR1000RR-R SP, priced at Au$38,900 on the road
(US$25,800, GB£19,400, €22,200).
Boxer
endurance, Dec 7
Whoever got this
headline past the client clearly had a sense of humour
– it's a magazine ad for BMW's R100GS Paris-Dakar
variant, circa 1988-96.
We had one in our shed
for a while – the bike rather than the composer – and you can see the story
here.
Also see the test on its
predecessor, the R80GS, at
Classic Two Wheels.
Flashback:
Meet Hannibal the Hayabusa, Dec 5
Though it's been on the market a couple of times,
Hannibal our hotted-up Hayabusa has somehow managed to
survive assorted culls and is now a fixture...see the story.
And see our
Hayabusa resources page
(Pic by Lou Martin)
Most
collectible modern Ducati – Falloon, Dec 3
I’m often asked what is the most collectable modern
Ducati, and without a doubt it is the 2008 Desmosedici RR.
Of all recent limited editions and race replicas, the D16
RR comes closest in spirit to replicating the legendary
'green frame' 750 SS...more
at Falloon's substack page.
We have a wealth
of Ducati features
And have hosted a
few in our shed
Pictured is our
current 916 Strada
Langen
Lightspeed launch, Dec 2
Boutique UK maker Langen
has recently launched its second major model line, the
Lightspeed. Based on a variaint of the 1190cc 72
degree Rotax V-twin currently used by Buell,
it claims 185hp for a dry weight of 185kg.
A host of premium
components are promised, including carbon-fibre
bodywork and high-end Ö
hlins suspension.
The company says it will
do 185 builds to owner spec, priced at Au$74,700
(US$49,000, GB£37,000, €42,000) plus taxes. British
machines are expected to start rolling out mid-2026,
while international deliveries (including Australia)
are expected in 2027.
Langen is also working
on a turbocharged version, which it says should have
250hp in street form.
The company's previous
effort was the Two Stroke 250 V-twin sports
bike, with an initial production run of 100. It claims
76hp for a dry weight of 120kg and is priced at
Au$59,400 (US$39,000, GB£29,400, €33,500) plus taxes.
See our profile of the
doomed 1125 Buell series
Andy's
orange moment, Dec 2
Australian maker and
retailer Andy Strapz has decided to respond to the
current swarm of black Friday sales with one of his
own – an orange Wednesday sale.
Yamaha
SRX600 – random brochure for the day, Dec 1
It's circa 1985 and Yamaha has launched its elegant SRX600 four-stroke single, which was in hot competition with Honda's XBR500. The SRX was a better handling package while the Honda had the advantage of electric start.
We've owned examples of both – see our story on the Yamaha.
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